The following rules apply to all web pages moderated and operated by Mormon Reformation – including those not on this site such as our event and discussion pages on Facebook.
Q: What is Mormon Reformation’s Comment Policy?
A: Sadly, we find that the current state of public discourse to be disappointing.
And we have found far too much Internet discourse to be downright appalling. Civility and the ability to disagree without being disagreeable seem to be lost to today’s society. Until that changes Mormon Reformation will closely monitor and moderate all comments.
However, we never censor comments based on political or ideological point of view. We only delete those comments that include the following transgressions:
• are abusive, off-topic, or uses foul language
• include ad hominem and/or personal attacks.
This includes, but is not limited to, comments that attempt to belittle, diminish, or degrade the character or reputation of the author of the article, other commenters, the staff at Mormon Reformation, or that celebrate the death or illness of any person, public figure or otherwise.
If you present an argument please do so only against the evidence, logic, or reasoning that’s been presented not the person presenting them. Or stated even more simply: Comment on the content, not on the contributor.
A good way to do this is to avoid using the person’s name or the word “you” as much as possible. For example, (assuming the contributor’s name is Joe Schmoe) saying, “I couldn’t seem to find any logic or reason in those arguments” is much better than saying, “Joe, you’re always so illogical and irrational!”
If you need further clarification on either of these – the most common of infractions – please refer to the following articles which we use as our guidelines as to what constitutes an ad-hominem or personal attack:
Wikipedia “Ad homiem” policy definition
Wikipedia “Personal Attack” policy definition
Further any comments that contain any or all of the following will immediately be deleted:
• contains any form of bigotry, prejudice and/or slurs
• are solicitations and/or advertising for the commenter’s books, personal blogs, and websites
• thread spamming (you’ve posted this same comment elsewhere on the site)
• are posted with the explicit intention of provoking other commenters or the members of the Mormon Reformation team.
• contains content that may infringe the copyright or intellectual property rights of others or other applicable laws or regulations.
Finally, no proselytizing. The guideline here is simple: You can tell others what you believe and why, however, you may not tell others what and how they should – or in the case of atheist proselytizing, “shouldn’t” – believe.
Q: I posted a comment. Why can’t I see it on the page?
A: There are two scenarios for which your comment may not appear:
1. It may be pending approval.
Whenever possible, comments are moderated BEFORE they appear on the site, and this takes time. Since the volume of comments for these Mormon Reformation Day events tend to be quite high, there is often a delay between a comment being posted and it being approved, especially during peak hours. We appreciate your patience and ask that you refrain from posting the same comment repeatedly.
2. Your comment violated the policy above.
We pride ourselves in providing a medium for engaging and thought-provoking content and encourage our users to speak their minds freely, provided comments fall within our commenting policy. We must respect our writers and protect them from vicious and inflammatory comments. They too are entitled to free speech- the right to share their opinions without being subject to scathing and mean-spirited remarks.
It’s our hope that by instituting these policies we can create a safe space where we can all gain greater understanding, enlightenment, and wisdom through respectful and civil public discourse.
Q: I still have questions about your moderation policy how can I contact you?
A: You can email us at MormonReformationDay@gmail.com.
Please remember there is a real person reading and answering your emails. We want to hear from you, but if your email is rude, mean and/or inflammatory, it won’t be answered.
Mormon Reformation Day 